Our Lady Peace (also known as OLP) is an alternative rock band formed in To… Read Full Bio ↴Our Lady Peace (also known as OLP) is an alternative rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1992.

The band has sold over five million albums worldwide, won four Juno Awards, and ten MuchMusic Video Awards. OLP has released eight studio albums to date, with "Clumsy" often being considered the most popularized of the set. The Heavyweight Songfacts reports that their eighth studio album Curve was recorded from 2010 through 2012 at vocalist Raine Maida's home recording studio. It was released on April 3, 2012.

Full circle: a theme that eagerly resonates with each member of multiplatinum survivors, Our Lady Peace. As the band approached the release of their seventh studio album, a feeling of renewal and excitement washed over Toronto’s favorite sons in a manner not felt since their earliest days.

Self-produced in lead singer Raine Maida’s Los Angeles home studio, the 10-track Burn Burn (in stores July 21 2009), marks the longest period between studio albums for Our Lady Peace. It also signifies a sonic and philosophical rebirth. The band now enjoys a creative and professional freedom that they haven’t experienced since the release of their now classic debut. “I think about the way we made Naveed,” Maida recalls. “We were just starting, we knew nothing about the business and we had no expectations. It was four guys in a room just trusting their instincts. We went back to that. ‘Liberating’ doesn’t really even sum it up.”

Burn Burn is a triumphant return to what Maida terms “a proper, mature rock album,” steeped in the kind of raw intensity that drove their early material. Blinding rays of anthemic light make way to the tender poise and precision of a band that was looking for a way out and found a satisfying new way in.

With caution thrown to the wind, tracks such as the stunningly arranged “Dreamland” and the overpowering first single, “All You Did Was Save My Life,” soar above angry clouds of confusion and insecurity with an ascending clarity that can only come from experience and growth.

The pounding affirmation of “The Right Stuff” and the vigilant build of band favorite “Refuge,” also reinforce the notion that OLP now occupy a unique and enviable mindspace. “We’re not looking back with any kind of regret,” Maida points out, “but we’ve been doing this long enough now that we know what we want to say. We didn’t want to compromise a thing.”

Having scattered in different directions after the release of 2005’s Healthy In Paranoid Times, all four members took on projects of their own, ranging from solo records, production and songwriting work, tours and guest performances. Over the last two years, Raine Maida, guitarist Steve Mazur, bassist Duncan Coutts and drummer Jeremy Taggart sporadically reconvened and lived at Madia’s home, creating what he calls their best effort to date.

Members would leave each session without tapes, giving themselves a much fresher perspective on the material they created when they returned. Producing themselves and an adherence to rolling tape off the floor gave birth to an urgent, natural body of work. “We didn’t put a lot of pressure on ourselves,” Coutts confirms. “We left things alone and haven't done that in a long time."

“For us,” adds Maida, “a big part of this band is playing live. It has to be something that we’re going to enjoy; a real dynamic collection of songs. When we really started to understand that, the record took on this whole other life.”

This work ethic allowed room for guitarist Steve Mazur, who joined the band in 2002, to blossom on Burn Burn. “On this album I really felt comfortable with my role and what I sound like as the guitarist of Our Lady Peace.” Mazur shines on tracks such as “Escape Artist” and “Paper Moon,” a song where Mazur’s solowork was nailed on the first go-round.

Our Lady Peace is also striking out on their own professionally this time around, opting for what the band terms a “true partnership” with both North American record labels. “We’ve never been this prepared for an album,” adds OLP founding member Jeremy Taggart. “In the past, we’ve never had the foresight to have maybe two or three singles in the can already with videos, etc.”

“Nobody knows us better than ourselves,” Taggart continues. “We didn’t over think a good song or idea or under think anything. The good songs really picked themselves.”

Annie
Our Lady Peace Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You're a little bit shy
A little too quiet
You're the mixed up girl
That everybody leaves behind
A little bit weird
A little too bright
But you just might be
That little bomb at their side

They'll pull your hair
They'll leave you wide-eyed
But did anybody wonder
What Annie might have in mind
Oh, no

There's something in the way she explains to me
"Please be careful, I exist in someone else's head"
Oh, no
Something in the way that she makes believe
Please be careful
Annie dreams that everyone is dead

You're a little bit dry
A little uptight
You're the messed up girl
That everybody tries to hide
You've had enough
They're too unkind
But did anyone consider
What Annie might have in mind
Oh, no

Something in the way she explains to me
"Please be careful, I exist in someone else's head"
Oh, no
Something in the way that she makes believe
Please be careful
Annie dreams that everyone is dead

Something in the way she explains to me
"Please be careful, I exist in someone else's head"
Oh, no
Something in the way that she makes believe
Please be careful
Annie dreams that everyone is dead

Something in the way she explains to me
"Please be careful, I exist in someone else's head"
Oh, no
Something in the way that she makes believe
Please be careful
Annie dreams that everyone is dead
Everyone is dead
Everyone is dead
Everyone is dead

Everyone is dead
Everyone is dead

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Our Lady Peace's song "Annie" paint a picture of a young girl who is struggling to fit in with her peers. She is deemed "a little bit weird" and "a little too bright" - qualities that are often not celebrated in the high school world. In fact, she is the type of girl who is left behind and bullied by others. Despite this, the song hints that there is something more to her than meets the eye. Annie holds a secret that is only revealed in the chorus, where she warns the listener to be careful around her because she exists in someone else's head. Annie's dark thoughts are revealed when she dreams that everyone is dead.

The song is powerful in its exploration of themes around mental illness, depression, and loneliness. The character of Annie can be seen as a metaphor for anyone who has ever felt alienated or misunderstood by others. The lyrics show that people who are perceived as different may have deep complexities that others do not see, and that their inner worlds can be both fascinating and unsettling.

Line by Line Meaning

You're a little bit shy
Annie is introverted and lacks confidence in social situations.

A little too quiet
Annie speaks softly and does not assert herself.

You're the mixed up girl That everybody leaves behind
Annie feels out of place and doesn't fit in with her peers.

A little bit weird
Annie's behavior or interests are unconventional or quirky.

A little too bright
Annie is intelligent or talented, which sets her apart from others.

But you just might be That little bomb at their side
Despite her perceived weaknesses, Annie has potential and may surprise others with her abilities.

They'll pull your hair They'll leave you wide-eyed
Annie has been mistreated or bullied by others.

But did anybody wonder What Annie might have in mind Oh, no
Annie's thoughts and feelings have been overlooked or dismissed by those around her.

There's something in the way she explains to me "Please be careful, I exist in someone else's head" Oh, no
Annie expresses a sense of dissociation or detachment from reality.

Something in the way that she makes believe Please be careful Annie dreams that everyone is dead
Annie copes with her struggles by escaping into a dark fantasy of destruction and death.

You're a little bit dry A little uptight You're the messed up girl That everybody tries to hide
Annie exhibits emotional detachment and may come across as overly serious or reserved.

You've had enough They're too unkind
Annie has been hurt by others and wants to distance herself from them.

But did anyone consider What Annie might have in mind Oh, no
Annie's perspective and experiences have been disregarded or invalidated by those around her.

Everyone is dead
Annie's dark fantasy of death and destruction consumes her and she feels disconnected from the world around her.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Arnold Lanni, Duncan Coutts, Jeremy Taggart, Michael Maida, Michael Turner

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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